Union County courier. [volume] (Elk Point, Union County, D.T. [S.D.]) 187?-1913, 1887-03-30


pink boots i'll had silk dresses TO
wear them with she added savagely
Again her father questioned,"Why
notsao
Because they were bought with
money that ought to have bought
bread aud meat for poor little starv-
ing children and their crying moth
ers !"
WHO told you so?'
Nobody told me; | found out my
self"
you're q strange child, Celia"
"Yes, perhaps l am. but | love, you,
father And Celia put her cold
hand in her fathers.
Il don't see how you cam" he
said chokingly.
| guess it's Lecause you're my
father" was the innocent answer
! As father and daughter entered
the house the mother arose, put the
sleeping babe in its wretched cradle,
and said. "Come to supper"
Such a supper for a family of
six!-only a part Of a stale loaf OF
bread and some weak tea. The pa
sient, weary wife would not have
been surprised if her husband had
thrown the bread across the room at
the wall and had hurled the tea pot
alter it, cursing her at the same time,
as he had often done before; but she
was surprised when he arose from
the table-jnst after seating himself
and s....;a, nuskily, "Eat this mis-
cradle stuff if you can poor things!
l must be gone"
He started for the door, weak and
faint, but determined. His wife fol-
lowed him, beseeching: "Oh! don't
go out again to night, Fred, don't;
the baby is sick, and"
She said no more, for, with the
words "The little fellow is sick, is
he?" the father went back to the era.
die, stopped ard kissed his infant
child for the first time, and arose
with tears %glistening upon his eye
lashes.
"I'm not going out to drink, Mary,
don't be worried; I'll be in by nine
o'clock, and ifSthe child should get
worse, Celia will find me at Sergeant
Wright's."
"What do you suppose it all means,
mother" asked Celia az soon as her
father was gone.
81 don't know child; but perhaps
it means there is blessing coming
to us all. Pray to God that it may
be So"
Mother" said Celia, "Father ask.
ed me this afternoon if | wanted
pink boots. What do you think OF
that"
1t was a strange question. child.
I'd be thankful if he'd save money
to buy you some black mes. Your
feet are blue with cold."*
At nine o'clock a face peered
through the little curtainless window
of the kitchen. The eyes saw a DESC
late picture. 1t was this: A bare
cold-looking room; a haggard woman
bending ove a sick babe; a little,
sad faced girl fallen asleep on the
hard floor while bravely waiting for
father" and two pale.faced boys
asleep on a low bed against the wall.
Upon the boys faces were traces of
tears, for they were only little fell
lows of four and six, and bad cried
themselvesto sleep because they were
hungry.
The face moved from the window,
and the man to whom it belonged
opened the door and walked in.
Wife," he said, bending down to
kiss his wiie's worn face for the first
time in years,"I've been an idiot and
a brute, and I'll not ask you to for
give me tonight.
I'll wait until you find out that Pm
a changed man-thank God that l
am! All! Celia, your waking child.
Florence Burr will never buy any
more pink boots with the money
that belongs to my little ones. I've
been over to Sergeant Wright's
workinghard at blackening stoves for
four hours, and while / blackened
the stoves he whitened my heart a
little, God bless him! He paid me.
too, a good price, and to- morrow I'm
to begin work in his tin shop. Wake
up the poor little boys, Celia, my
dear little girl. Tell them their ia
ther, and not a brute, has come home,
and has brought such a supper that
they'll shout for joy."-Saected.